====================
The Right Way to Travel
Edited by Lori Appling in Arlington, VA
"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all
peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea
that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."
-- Maya Angelou
====================
Today:
*** Cheap Airfare to Florida -- Meet Us There
*** New Passport Regulations You Should Know
*** Destination: Charleston -- The Ultimate Travel Photographer's
Workshop
*** Practical Writing Prompt of the Week: Oddities in Your Town
*** Reader Feedback: The Best Little LED Light for Travelers
*** More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
=====================
*Highly Recommended*
LOW FARES TO FLORIDA!
Flight + hotel from Los Angeles = $385
Flight + hotel from San Francisco = $377
Flight + hotel from Chicago = $264
Flight + hotel from Baltimore = $245
Some fares even include a car rental. Check www.BestFares.com for
details...
AND MEET US IN FLORIDA!
Join us in Fort Lauderdale this February 16-18, 2007 for our annual
Lucrative Traveler's Conference and learn how you can travel the world
and make a six-figure income doing it:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tpi/countup1
======================
Dear Reader,
A new passport regulation goes into effect this week. Starting
January 23rd (that's this past Tuesday) everyone traveling from the
U.S. to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, and Canada by air needs a
passport. (Birth certificates are no longer an acceptable form of
ID).
This is a big deal for my friend Charlie. At $97 each for him and his
wife, and $82 for each of their three kids (all younger than 16), this
year's family trip to the Bahamas just got $440 more expensive. And
that's if he applies for all five passports today.
It takes up to six weeks to process a passport, though it is possible,
for an additional $60, to rush the process and have a passport in hand
within two weeks. (You'll find the details and forms on the U.S.
State Department website, here:
(http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.)
If Charlie needs the passports even faster than that, though, he can
use a private "passport expediter." For a fee on top of the government
fees -- anywhere from $59 to $179 per passport -- these folks will
walk your application through the process for you and guarantee you
have it in your hands quickly -- even within 24 hours.
Should you find yourself in need of an expediter service, this site
seems very clear, professional, and easy to use:
http://www.americanpassport.com.
Another caution about passports, while I'm on this subject: Some
countries require that your passport be valid for at least six months
beyond your travel dates.
Last October, I had to rush to have mine renewed before I left for our
workshop in Greece. I realized at the last minute that it was valid
for only three months after my trip, and I didn't want to risk having
problems at the border. Procrastinator that I am, I found myself
paying an expediter a hefty fee to ensure I could travel without
incident.
And so, my advice to you? Today -- as soon as you've finished reading
this e-letter -- go find your passport and check the expiration date.
If it expires this year, get it renewed now and spare yourself trouble
and expediter fees.
And while you're waiting for your passport to come back to you... why
don't you take a trip with us that doesn't require a passport at all?
We're hosting our next live photography workshop in Charleston, South
Carolina, April 19-21, 2007, and I'd love to see you there. These
workshops always sell out fast, so consider this your early alert.
I'll send out the formal announcement about this event next week. But
if you pre-register now, you're guaranteed a spot.
You'll find all the details here:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/charleston.
We modeled this workshop after our most popular domestic event last
year -- The Ultimate Travel Photographer's Workshop in San Francisco.
There, we set up a miniature studio in the hotel -- complete with live
models who were happy to sign model releases (making any good shots
our attendees got salable).
We're doing the same thing this year in Charleston and we're adding
another special session on still-life and product photography.
Attendees will learn how to set up a studio shoot (and recreate it at
home to take professional-quality portraits of friends and family --
or simply snap stock-photo shots for sale).
They'll also learn how to take pictures of simple household items like
curtains, crayons, and jewelry, and sell them to online stock
agencies. We'll even have shadow boxes there where they can practice
taking pictures of anything they can think of.
Each attendee will walk away with travel pictures of Charleston...
studio pictures of the models (with model releases)... and still-life
shots they can sell the instant they get home.
To reserve your seat and take advantage of the pre-registration
discount of $300, visit:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/charleston
And don't forget to keep me up-to-speed on your travel-writing or
photography success. If you have a story to share, send me a quick
note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
-- Lori
Lori Appling
Director, AWAI's Travel Division
P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of
a writer's or photographer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive
this free e-letter here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com.
=======================
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=========================
PRACTICAL WRITING PROMPT OF THE WEEK
January's Travel Post Monthly features an article titled: "The Folly
of it All: 5 of Ireland's Best Architectural Oddities." You'll find it
here: www.travelpostmonthly.com.
What's odd about your town or favorite vacation spot?
Editors like a unique angle (particularly if you're writing about a
place that gets a lot of press), and by answering that question about
what's odd, you can find yourself staring at a great -- and saleable
-- article idea.
Depending on what it is you find that's so quirky, you might be able
to build an entire story about just that one thing.
Or, if you can think of three or more oddities, that could be the
makings of a round-up or even two.
As with all stories, your audience is critical. So once you've
identified what's so odd... think about who would find it appealing. I
asked Jen Stevens, author of our Ultimate Travel Writer's Program to
comment on this idea, and she offered up a great example of how this
can work:
"In and around my hometown of Colorado Springs you'll find all sorts
of quirky offerings. For example, there's the Cave of the Winds -- a
cave through which you can take guided tours and look at the
colorfully lit stalagmites and stalactites. (By way of full
disclosure, I spent the summer after high school working there in the
gift shop.)
"And there's this bug museum just outside of town, marked on the
highway by an enormous beetle and filled, inside, with all sorts of
crawly creatures, deceased, and pinned to display boards. The list of
odd attractions goes on. But my point is that these are offerings you
wouldn't find elsewhere, which help give this place its character.
"I could write a round-up about five kitsch attractions for the
college-student set. Or I could write a piece on three fun, quirky
activities to do with kids. Or I could write about any one of them on
its own with a specialized audience in mind. I mean, while the cave
has been 'tamed' shall we say, that doesn't mean it wouldn't interest
an audience of spelunkers. And that bug museum... if you're an
insect-enthusiast, you'd love it.
"I think building a story about an oddity (or two or three or more) is
a perfectly sound strategy. And a fun one, too! Just keep your
audience in mind, and let your readers' interests dictate the way you
position your subject in your lead and throughout."
[Note: If you're a member of ATS's Unlimited Critiques Program, you
can upload your article to their critique site once you've written it.
And you can expect to receive a helpful critique within 24 hours.
For more information about the Unlimited Critiques Program, visit:
http://www.acceleratedtrainingservices.com/tuc/website
======================
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=========================
READER FEEDBACK: The Best Little LED Light for Travelers
"I am a real estate developer/steep mountain skier. I spend a lot of
time in Latin America. You should go to an outdoors store (like REI)
and buy a couple of the LED lights. My recommended favorite is the
Petzl Tikka. It is relatively inexpensive ($35), durable, and water
resistant. It has a band you can wear on your head or wrap around your
wrist. The new LED lights are incredibly small (2 oz, size of an
apricot) and bright (up to 120 feet of visibility). Long battery life
(high setting 22 hours, low setting 68 hours).
"I always have one of these in my suitcase and one in my carry on.
Given how variable power is or the number of times where you need to
walk when it is dark, in Latin America this is essential." -- Jim Kean
==========================
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
* CAN YOU RETIRE AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL?:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/sh/website
* ARE YOU GOOD AT PERSUADING PEOPLE? Persuasive Writers are Hard to
Find:
http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/tw4
* BECOME A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR
http://www.publishachildrensbook.com/fr89
* UNLIMITED ARTICLE CRITIQUES:
http://www.acceleratedtrainingservices.com/tuc/website
===========================
The Right Way to Travel is a FREE newsletter from the American Writers
& Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.
(c) 2007 American Writers & Artists Inc.
245 NE 4th Ave., Ste 102
Delray Beach, FL 33483
Phone (561) 278-5557
Fax (561) 278-5929
memberservices@awaionline.com
To LEARN MORE, visit:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com
http://www.thephotographerslife.com
